We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kyaunnee Richardson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kyaunnee, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Music has been apart of my life since the very beginning of my life. It was everywhere while growing up. I had been singing in chorus since I was in elementary school on up into high school. My mom already knew I was going to be a singer but I made the decision when I was 14/15 years old. That’s when a little known musical called “The Phantom of the Opera” persuaded me to become and opera singer and pursue it professionally.

I saw the film in 2004 with my choir and I wanted to know more about this musical. I bought the book and any CDs I could find of the musical — from the London Cast Recording to a knock-off version. I became obsessed with it. In 2005, my dad took me to see it at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts when it was on tour. It was also on the day Hurricane Wilma was about to hit South Florida. After seeing it, I began to do my research on opera which lead me to the greats from Callas to Pavarotti. I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Kyaunnee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an opera singer. As I mentioned before, music — particularly classical music — was in my home but I decided to become an opera singer thanks to “The Phantom of the Opera”. I decided this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I attended the New World School of the Arts College in Miami, Florida and then headed off to graduate school at Florida State University earning both a bachelors and masters degree in Voice and Opera. Since graduating from these schools, I became a part of a local opera company called Opera Fusion where I found my current voice teacher, Birgit Fioravante. This company gave me the platform I needed to help me grow into the artist I am today. In addition to Opera Fusion, I’ve worked with other companies from New York City to Portland to Orlando to Savannah and so forth.

Even though I have been singing opera for a while, I’m not afraid of stepping back into the genres I still love today. I grew up listening to Whitney Houston to popular songs to the old classic Disney and when given the opportunity to perform them, I jump at the chance. I performed the roles of Glinda and Aunt Em in “The Wiz” in 2018. Recently, I dove into jazz. I find that singing these different genres, though challenging as it may seem, helps the other. It keeps the experience fresh, well-rounded and exciting while, at the same time, it peaks my curiosity about the unknown. It causes me to stretch to see what else I am capable of doing. I love taking on those challenges.

I had been given many opportunities throughout my career. The first one was being able to sing for the funeral of Senator Rev. Pickney with President Barak Obama in the audience. During the 2020 Pandemic — or the Great Pause — I decided to create videos on my social media pages. I experimented with different repertoire in different mediums. One of my favorite projects had to have been the #MusicInIsolation project where Andrew Lloyd Webber challenged his followers to create scenes from his hit musicals. I created a couple of videos from “Phantom” and entered in his online Cadenza Competition where I was finalist and was dubbed by Sir Webber himself for having the “world’s longest cadenza”. Another moment I am humbled by would be creating and debuting a new opera with Opera Orlando called “The Secret River” which is based on a children’s book by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. I played Calpurnia… that moment for me was very special because I was able to create a role that has become a part of history.

Singing is my passion and I absolutely love the process of becoming a character on stage. Storytelling is a beautiful form of communication. It connects us all on a deeper level and I love that in opera. I simply cannot see myself doing anything else but this.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I like watching videos of the great opera artists of old such as Maria Callas to Leontyne Price to Luciano Pavarotti. But I also watch documentaries on singers I have a great admiration for such as the Voice herself; Whitney Houston. I’ve learned a great deal from her and every documentary about President Barak Obama and the Backstreet Boys.

Yet the one that is the most farthest from the music world is the documentary called “The Last Dance”. Yes, the famed documentary-series about Michael Jordan and the 90s Chicago Bulls has become a huge source of inspiration for me. I found it fascinating to learn about Michael Jordan and how he and his teammates became champions. The level of hard work, drive and passion — it all connected back to being an opera singer. Jordan’s discipline and winner’s mindset challenged me to find things in my career that can push me to the next level. I loved the level of respect he had for the game of basketball.

What I found in common with these great legends is that things weren’t easy for them. They all worked hard. Like they put in the time and the grind to become the legends that they are today. There was no social media for them which meant not a lot of distraction. They focused on their craft. There was a lot of rejection and disappointment. You can see the frustration because they all wanted it bad enough but they kept pushing through and eventually they broke through… and the rest is history.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist would be the audience. After you’ve spent hours upon hours working at your craft and creating that project to reach people. Working hard to really fine tune the details. To see the audience engulfed in your storytelling for 2 hours and a half and have them walk away satisfied or challenged by the ideas presented to them or entertained is gratifying. I love talking to audience members after a performance and asking them if they enjoyed themselves. They have their own opinions about certain things which is part of the experience but it’s cool to see people’s reactions and have them relive their experiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kyaunneerichardson.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/@kyaunneerichardson
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KyaunneeRichardsonSoprano
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/KyaunneeRichardson
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/@Kyaunnee_R
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kyaunneerichardson
• TikTok: @csopranodiva

Image Credits
Dario Acosta Photography Bearded Lens Photography Kristin Pulido Photography Ivan Seligeman Nicholas Karlin Glo MacDonald Zak Bennett Mary Trujillo Gregory Reed